The Babysitter
by falling into heaven
Summary: There's a challenge between them, a sense of equals. And it might just kill them all. Episode tagged chapters, Steve/Lori
1. The Eyes, They Speak Louder Than Words

Ship: Steve&Lori

A/N: Okay, I love this ship. I mean... those looks, that flirting... I so hope they get together. I'll probably end up doing a few epsiode tagged chapters, but regular updates are not my strongest suit... I'll update as and when my muse/my workload allow! I'm already planning a post-ep ;)

Spoilers: season 2, episode 2

Warning: None. Flirtatious looks ;)

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><p><em>WAILANA COFFEE HOUSE<em>  
><em>WAIKIKI<em>

Steve observed the anxious-looking blonde sat across the cafe from him, over the left shoulder of the surprisingly calm blonde opposite him. He was - despite Danny's strong objections - very good at reading people. That wasn't to say he always paid attention to their state, but he knew how to read people, certainly. He'd done a course along those lines during SQT training whilst qualifying for suty with his platoon as a SEAL. And the woman sat across from him was completely at ease. There was no anxiety, anticipation, nerves... she should have been wired. Let alone the fact it was her second day with 5-0, she was facing a kidnapping situation, they were on a timer. But not a thing about her body language, expression... _nothing _suggested nerves.

"Porter's late." sighed McGarrett. Lori could see from the tension in his shoulders, the skittish look in his eye that he was impatient. Typical military man. _Five minutes early and you're already late._ Military psychology was fascinating, but profiling them was a relatively simple task. They were all programmed to think in the same way, so figuring out their body language, their thoughts was one of her simpler jobs.

Not that reading her new - boss? Partner? - _colleague's _thoughts was on her to-do list.

"Yeah, he'll show." she replied easily. She knew he would. And she was rarely wrong in her assessment of people. The problems came when idiotic law enforcement saw psychology as a 'soft science' and refused to believe her.

Steve brushed the handle of his cup rhythmically as the smiling waitress topped him up. he really didn't need the additional caffeine; his adenelin was already switched up high enough, coursing through his veins at full speed. Any more in his system and he would have to switch to controlling his breathing to lower his heartrate. He knew from his days behind a sniper rifle that a high heartrate caused inprecision, and inprecision lead to mistakes. Steven John McGarrett did not do mistakes. His _thank you _to the waitress was slightly more forceful than it needed to be, but his mild annoyance at Weston's blind optimism and casual, controlled manner started to seep through. She was perfectly poised, perfectly in control, despite being brand new to the team.

Truth be told, he rather wished the angry, dangerous woman who ripped into him the previous day would make a reapperance. Other than making her even more attractive than she already was, he had more respect for people that stood up for what they believed in.

"Don't you just hate that?" Lori broke the silence. Not that the silence was awkward, per se, just intense. There was a tension, two lions sizing each other up.

He frowned at her, glancing at his cup. "Hate what?"

"The top-off." She replied as though it was obvious, doe eyes widening slightly as she glanced at the offending topped-off coffee sat on the fornica between them. "You know, you get just the right mix going; coffee, cream, sugar all working in perfect harmony... then when you're not looking, waitress comes and tops you off. Ruins a perfectly good cup of coffee, that's why I switched to tea. they don't mess with that."

He smiled throughout her little speech, tongue glancing over his lower lip. There was absolutely no reason for that simple, innocent explanation to seem so... sexual. It was something about the way she held his gaze, the slight smile around the edges of her eyes. Few people were inclined to challenge Steve McGarrett, and this felt like a challenge. He smirked at her, slightly amused. She was full of surprises, that woman. One second she's all buisness, describing her profiles of the kidnapper and victim, and the next she's complaining about the irritating conduct of waitresses everywhere.

"What? Just saying." Her eyes widened again, the same half-defiant, half-_whatever _look that backed up his theory about her dangerous side. the side that would punch a man i the face and chase down a gunman... and yell at her new partner. on her first day. They both took a quick drink, never breaking eye contact.

Lori bit back a triumphant smirk as she watched McGarrett stiffle a grimace, a quick tighteneing of his jaw, twitch of the thick muscles in his neck, narrowed eyes. It was brief, smoothed out into his almost-relaxed expression as he reached for the small pot of cream. "Hmm." he failed to be inconspicuous as he cleared his throat slightly of the bitter liquid.

"Told you."

"When you're right, you're right." He poured his cream quickly, watching as Lori shifted in her seat, relaxing against the backrest. She folded her arms, already looking at ease with him.

"You know I expected someone who graduated top of his BUD/S class to take his coffee black, but mm-mm." Her eyes widened yet again - her best feature, he presumed (not that there was shortage of competition, it had to be said) - as she gave a mock-sigh, shaking her head.

Steve refused to break eye contact with her for a second longer than necessary, a rare smile on his face as he glanced towards the window before leaning forwards. So close, he could smile her perfume. _Violets, vanilla, patouilli... _one of those things he read about in _Women's Day _earlier. It was fresh, but with a slight muskier note... something he had a feeling reflected her absolutely. He hadn't noticed the colour of her eyes before. Green, with specks of gold around the centre. They were pretty.

Lori leaned towards him automatically. He smelled like soap, salt and coffee. It was a nice combination, as though he'd been for a swim in the sea that morning. And going by her little research project last night, that was the most likely explanation.

"Did you pull my file?" He looked vaguely uncomfortable with that. Surprised, and just a little bit uncomfortable. Lori presumed he didn't want everyone to know he'd been seconded for the CIA. It didn't take a genius, looking at his long-range weapons qualifications and awards to guess what his role in the Company was. It didn't bother her at all. She had worked with the CIA on one memorable occaision, and it had been the field operatives, the snipers and killers that had been the best company. The pencil pushers and beauraucrats were insufferable.

"Mhmm. Last night, which is when I assume you pulled mine." There it was again, Steve realised. The dead calm of her voice. The challenge. She was actually challenging him. He sat back, brow furrowed slightly in concentration as he tried in vain to figure her out. The defiant chin lift, the eye contact, the slight smile... If them working together didn't kill one of them on its own, Danny might, he thought to himself. _This is going to be fun._

He glanced back towards the window, scanning the street for any sign of Porter. "You graduated with honours from Penn State but you switched from bio to criminal justice in your sophmore year."

She nodded. "Mhmm."

"What happened, you couldn't hack the sciences?" He quirked one eyebrow, smiling slightly as he took a sip of his coffee - its equilibria now restored for maximum taste.

"Uh-huh, something like that." She dropped her gaze for a moment, before her eyes resumed their attention on his face. There was the slight smile again, but it was quieter. Something in her voice had changed, and Steve knew there was a story there. He'd find out.

He made a noise of agreement, before glancing over at Julie, who remained in her seat, looking towards the door. She was getting restless, it wouldn't be long now either way.

"Phys Ed was more my style." she deflected neatly, the confidence back.

"Phys Ed?" he smiled, nodding. There was a flirtatious look in his eye, his interest piqued. If she wasn't careful, she was going to end up being referred to as the femal McGarrett. By Danny, of course. But he was impressed, nonetheless. "You care to elabourate on that?"

"Mm-mm." she shook her head coyly, lips pursed. "Maybe when I know you better." There was a promise there, somewhere. Her expression, her tone... he was going to get these stories out of her somehow, sometime.

"Okay." he grinned.

"Okay."

He cleared his throat, touching a finger to his earpiece. He held her gaze for a second longer as he addressed his colleagues. "Hey, uh, any sign of Porter out there?"

"No. How's the date going, buddy?" Danny's voice was slightly tinny over the comms, but his tone was unmistakable. Loud and obvious... he was not going to forget this anytime soon, and Steve knew he was going to face some serious questions later.

He glanced back at Lori with a slight smirk, pointedly ignoring his friend's comment. "Chin?" His change of topic was obvious as he took a steadying breath. Weston was beginning to make him dizzy - this whole... situation was.

"You didn't answer Danny's question."

"I will take that as no sign of Porter." He watched Lori as she shifted restlessly. Not so obvious that a civillian would notice, but he knew.

Lori frowned as Lori glanced in her bag, sliding out of her seat.

"I think she's done waiting." Steve announced, ready to move.

"I'll see if I can stall her."

"Go." Lori moved before he had the chance, moving smoothly towards their target. He tried not to notice how good she looked in her tight black jeans, he really did. He was interested to see if she could pull this off. He doubted it - Julie was strung out like she was on meth - but her eagerness and determination was something. Really, he wanted to see how fast she could move.

"Hey, you're Julie Knowles, right? I'm-" Lori didn't get chance to say anymore as Julie took off at a run, darting out of the coffee shop. Lori grabbed the waitress blocking her path, pushing her out of the way as she took off at a sprint after the woman. "Julie, wait-"

"She's running, she's running!" Steve called over the comms, chasing after the two blondes. One thing was for sure, the new chick could run.

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><p>Reviews make my week :)<p> 


	2. MMA: More Potent Than Oysters

A/N: I warned you I'm bad at updating! I might throw a post-ep from 2x05 in at some point, but bear with me. My life's pretty hectic at the moment.

I'm not liking all the Lori hate! She's a breath of fresh air, and I love her conversations with Steve. Fun, flirty, full of double meanings :)

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: 2x06

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><p>NEIL S. BLAISOELL CENTER ARENA<p>

HONOLULU

Steve wrapped the white tape tighter around his fists, blowing his breaths out in sharp blasts as he tried to focus the adrenaline in his system in preparation for his inevitable ass-kicking. He could fight a criminal with ease and grace, comfortable with his years of SEAL-trained hand-to-hand combat. But going up against Chuck Liddell? That was suicide, plain and simple.

"You know it's bad luck to tape your own hands." Lori frowned as she watched her boss from her position, leaning against the lockers in the doorway. Sweat glistened on his skin, tanned from hours spent surfing. The tattoos decorating his torso, shoulders and arms that may previously have been black had faded to a greenish hue, largely thanks to direct sun exposure, she knew from a couple of ex-boyfriends. "And you - you wanna wrap it a little thicker, over your knuckles." She gestured to his hands with an index finger.

He glanced down at his fists then back at Lori, confused.

"Let me help you out with that." He studied her as she grabbed one of the metal chairs, flipping it round and straddling it. Dressed in his supporter's t-shirt and tight fitting jeans that seemed to emphasise her absurdly long legs and gently curved hips, her blonde hair tied back haphazardly into a bun, she looked good. It was nice to see her dressed casually, rather than in her 'business' look that set his cargo-loving, tie-hating teeth on edge.

Her hands worked deftly, taping his knuckles with experience on her side. He could tell she'd done this before. "You know how to do this."

"Yeah. Did some Muay Thai, a little ju- jitsu." she replied casually. He looked impressed. The woman kept on surpassing his (admittedly low) expectations. First there was the kidnapping cases (the fact that the Governor had assigned her instead of Public Safety Liaison had not cast her in a brilliant light) and the fact she actually had experience, there was the thing with the file pulling (and proverbial hair pulling) in the cafe, then the little incident with the gunman during the extraction. He hadn't been overly impressed with her letting someone get the jump on her, but the smacking them in the face with the butt of their own gun? Hot.

Needless to say, she was full of surprises.

"Really?"

She laughed, nodding as she continued to wrap his hands. There was excitement in her eyes, life he hadn't known lighting up as she thought back over her former hobbies on the mainland. "Yeah, I used to spar with my ex-boyfriend. Was kinda fun 'till I started beating him." He never realised how blue her eyes were before. He also had a feeling that there was a story there, but he wouldn't press it. He enjoyed the lighter tone in her voice; it seemed as though she was becoming comfortable around him. Gone was the curt, business-like woman who first butted heads with him, instead replaced by a fun, slightly - and utterly enjoyably - flirtatious team member.

Plus, it made a nice change to be referred to as 'Steve' instead of boss, McGarrett, or worse still - Steven. Danny would pay for that one day.

"Huh." he glanced nervously towards the door, the nerves beginning to set in now the fight loomed closer. On of these days, he would remember that he was human and breakable, he figured. But for now, stab wounds, gunshot wounds, dislocated limbs and fractures later he was still feeling pretty good. A regulated (ish) fight should be doable. "Maybe you should be going out into that ring instead of me."

It was said as a joke, but it didn't take much of her profiling background to read the genuine worry behind his words. She gripped his fists tightly, securing the white wraps over his knuckles with a light laugh as she tried to relieve some of the tension. She held his gaze as she quickly informed him, "It's not too late to call it off. It's not going to look so hot if your nose is over there." Using a hand to gesture vaguely towards his cheek, she silently cursed her lack of filtering. One of these days, flirting with her boss might land her in trouble.

Steve was momentarily taken aback by her unabashed confession, but recovered quickly, an amused smirk on his face. "I'm sorry, you paying me a compliment?"

Her attention remained on his fist for a moment. "Maybe." the laughter on her face, in her eyes, in her tone... Steve found it almost irritatingly attractive. She'd loosened up, grown accustomed to the light, teasing tone of their conversations. It always felt as though they were having two conversations, the words coming out of their mouths and the real meaning behind them. "Okay, make a fist." she gripped his large fist in her own, sinewy hands slapping the tape down neatly over his calloused skin as he let out a deep breath.

He rolled his shoulders, tilting his head as he tried to loosen up his steadily tightening muscles.

Before either of them could say anything more, a loud knock broke through the silence. "McGarrett!"

"Yeah." His voice was rough, brisk. He was trying valiantly to ignore the pounding beat of his heart against his ribcage, limbs

"You're up!"

"Ai'ight." he ran a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the thin sheen of sweat covering his features as the adrenaline kicked into overdrive.

"One more for luck," he asked after a beat, his eyes meeting her green gaze.

Lori held the eye contact for a moment. "'Kay." She slapped his fist once, hard. Her hand remained closed over his for a beat longer. "Showtime."

"Showtime."

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><p>Steve pulled back the blue curtain, glancing at the crowds – the damn thousands of them – and quickly yanked the fabric back into place and took a steadying breath. Nerves shot through him as he envisioned Chuck-frickin'-Liddell pacing the ring, Neanderthal fists swinging is he readied himself for the fight. Ready, angry...<p>

The curtain was yanked back quickly into place.

Lori stopped her anxious pacing, nervous energy buzzing around her as she paused to face her colleague, guesturing with her hands - a nervous habit, no doubt. She had nice hands, Steve observed. He'd noticed while she was taping him up ready the fight: soft skin, sinewy tendons wrapping around bone, a slight scar above her left thumb. "Okay okay, listen. The mantra is... this is all for charity." Her voice was barely a step above shaking, doing a poor job of hiding her nerves.

McGarrett bit back the smile he would do nothing to reassure the blonde of his sound mind. Grinning like an idiot when he was about to get his ass kicked into next week would only alarm her more, even if her concern for him was the main amusement for him. Bouncing quickly on the spot, feeling the floor roll beneath the balls of his feet, he tried to release some of the excess energy curteousy of the adreniline coursing through his veins - still.

"Okay, Steve? Just... say it."

_God,_ she was persistant with the positive thinking crap. Steve missed snarky Lori, the one that had pulled his file and made no efforts to hide the fact, the one that yelled at him in his office - on her first day, no less. But she sounded breathless, scared. So he let it slide.

"I'll be fine." he reassured her gently, reaching a hand towards her. He was totally, 100% in control of the situation, and would continue to be so until Liddell threw his first punch, and by then it would be too late for Danny or Lori to do a damn thing. He was fairly confident that Kamekono, Kono and Chin would thoroughly enjoy watching him be beaten like a human punchbag.

Whatever he was feeling, she looked slightly reassured at least. It suddenly struck him how young and vunerable she looked as she worried about him. Cute, really. "Okay."

"Yo, McGarrett." Borero's arm was still in a sling, his face bearing none of the pain on his face except in the angry looking bruise framing his eye and split lip. Admittedly, half of his face looked to have swollen to an uncomfortable size. He nodded his chin in aknowledgement. "Thanks for taking my spot."

McGarrett nodded, throwing a quick glance in Lori's direction who offered the man a slight smile.

"Jake wouldn't have want the kids cheated out of a fight." His tone was quiet, resigned... tainted by the loss of a friend. It was one Steve recognised easily and was all too familiar with. The only mercy he had was the friends _he _had lost had known the risks they were taking, and died in the name and honour of their country. Not that such a fact made things any easier.

"'S all for the kids, brah." He nodded in the general direction of the now much-hated curtain. "I'll try put on a good show for ya. Besides, I'm the one who, ah... dislocated your shoulder..."

Borero glanced away with a slight chuckle. A slight laugh escaped Lori as she glanced towards the cage fighter, currently blushing at getting his ass handed to him by a cop. Even if the cop was a _Super-SEAL_.

"Yeah. I didn't forget!"

Steve jogged quickly on the spot, a broad grin on his face that made him look utterly adorable and flip Lori's stomach inside out, rampaging butterflies whirling into a frenzy as she tried valiantly to battle against the surge of feelings currently aimed towards her _boss._ Inappropriate. Though she couldn't stop the chuckle escaping at the thought of Steve in a fight against Borero. Both men, muscles rippling, sweat glistening...

_another train of thought please, Weston! _Her concience reprimanded her quickly.

"Hit 'em hard, bro." Borero extended his good fist, bumping McGarrets with his own. "S'cuse me, Miss." he added to Lori, the expression on his face clearly showing he thought he was interrupting something. She smiled slightly, amused by the thought. There was a certain level of tension bodering on unprofessionalism, sure, but she hadn't thought that anyone else had noticed it.

As Borero left, Lori clapped her hands a couple of times, taking a steadying breath. "Alright."

_...and now, to the BLAISOELL CENTER ARENA, Honolulu, Hawaii..._

Steve took a few short, deept breaths to ease the pounding of his heart against his ribcage, knocking his - beautifully - wrapped knuckles against his jaw a few times, stimulating his system ready to face the fight.

_...It's time!..._

He rattled off a few quick combinations of punches, re-introducing his shoulders to the hard, fast pace of (vaguely) pro-fighting. The hard, quick bursts of energy would build up the lactic acid in his muscles, but he was used to the burn of excercise. During Hell Week, he'd come to embrace it. The pain meant he was still alive, that his body was working well.

_...this is the main event of the evening!..._

The previously offending curtains whipped apart to reveal Danny, looking hella pissed off. "That's your cue, and your last chance to back out." he announced by way of greeting, with a curt smile and a nod.

He couldn't help shooting the shorter man one of his trademark _if-you-could-stop-being-an-ass-for-five-seconds _look, jerking a thumb back over his shoulder. "Could you-?" He didn't need any negative thoughts. This dumbass idea was tough enough as it was.

_...the iceman Lidell, versus hometown hero, Steve McGarrett!..._

lori looked surpriesed but fell into step alongside danny, flanking steve. nod at danny,

Lori was mildly surprised at how easily Danny complied, but fell quickly in step alongside him, Flanking Steve as they strode forwards. She nodded briefly at Danny, simply trying to seek some reassurance that their friend would make it through the evening with no need for ambulances or a trip to the ER. Danny's half-grimace didn't exactly inspire confidence.

"You did try and talk him out of this, right?" he asked tiredly.

"Yeah, I did." Lori replied crisply. "It didn't work."

"Clearly."

"Wow." Lori murmured as she took in the flashes of cameras, startling in the vaguely lit arena, which seemed to stretch for miles, filled with strangers cheering. All waiting to watch her friend's ass get handed to him. It wasn't that she lacked faith in Steve's ability - she was absolutely confident in his ability to kick ass, but this was Chuck-freaking-Lidell. _Suicide._

Lori shifted her focus onto Steve, watching anxiously as he jogged on the spot. And Danny? He _so _wasn't helping matters.

"Oh, not that guy!" Danny gawped at Lidell, who - in Danny's defence - was built like rhino (resembled one, too) and looked as though he fell out of the very top of the ugly tree, hitting every damn branch on the way down. The guy's face looked like Lori's old punchbag. Actually, no. The punchbag was in better shape. "Oh, look at this, this is _perfect_." There was no mistaking the sarcasm positively _dripping _from his words as he snatched up a white towel laid on the side of the ring.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked impatiently.

"Getting ready to throw in the towel." he replied as though it was entirely obvious. "Before you die."

"Mouthguard." Steve instructed, ignoring Danny pointedly.

"Mouthguard... you need a helmet, not a mouthguard!" Danny exclaimed as he fished the curve of plastic from his pocket, seriously concerned about his friend's mental state. If he was declared mentally incompetant, he would not have the capacity to make his own decisions and then this stupid fight could be halted, without Steve becoming public enemy number one, or arrested.

Steve barely noticed Danny rinsing the mouthguard before he fixed it into place, his eyes locked tightly on Lori's. For some reason, she had become his anchor, the one constant understanding face amidst the crazy stupidity he was facing, the one person he could count on to reassure him and settle him. She wore the look he knew well: anticipation, nerves, determination... The girl definitely knew the fighting world.

He threw a quick glance at Danny before his eyes slid back to the blonde like a magnet. She offered him a slight smile -

_ Is she wearing lipstick? Her lips looked soft, slightly pinker than their normal hue, absolutely perfectly - Whoa. Focus, McGarrett!_

"Okay, go."

Lori slapped him lightly on the back, hand sliding slightly against the slick sweat glistening over the muscles, rippling under the palm of her hand. She held the contact for a beat longer than necessary, trying to convey her concern for him, her faith... In the end, she settled for a quick "Go get him!"

...And resigned herself to an evening of emotional torment at watching her friend get beaten for fun. Dysfunctional didn't even _begin _ to cover it...


End file.
